One of the senior members of the NavalAcademy athletic department, John Officer enters his 21st season as the head coach of the Navy tennis program.Leading one of the most successful programs in the region, Officer is the winningest coach in Navy tennis history with a 323-221 mark.

Officer has led the Midshipmen to five league titles in his 19 seasons.Two of his players, Silas Bouyer and Mitchell Koch, were each named league player of the year twice in their career, and has placed at least one Navy player has been on every All-Patriot League team since 1994.

In addition to league success under Officer, Navy's teams have enjoyed recognition on both the regional and national stage.The Midshipmen qualified for the 1999 NCAA Tournament, losing to eventual national-semifinalist Mississippi.Two players, Koch and Craig Moringiello, received national singles rankings in their careers.Koch was ranked No. 1 in Region I and became the first Mid to win the ITA Regional Championship in 1999.

Officer himself was named the 1991 USPTA Mid-Atlantic and USPTA National Coach of the Year, as well as Region I Coach of the Year in both 1991 and 1999.Officer also garnered coach-of-the-year honors from the Colonial Athletic Association in 1986 and from the Patriot league in 1996 and 1999.

A native of Hanover, N.H., and a 1979 graduate of BostonCollege, Officer began his coaching career at BostonUniversity in 1982.He coached the Terriers for two seasons, while also earning his master's degree from BU in 1984.

Along with his coaching duties, Officer also serves as an Associate Professor of Physical Education at Navy.He and his wife, Cathy, reside in Millersville with their daughters, Katie, Lindsay, Sarah and Emily, and together run the Navy Tennis Camp in the summer.Officer additionally serves as a regular columnist for tennisone.com(.)

Officer recently completed work on a series of 11 instructional videotapes entitled, "Developing Superior Stroke Mechanics," "Singles Strategies for the Modern Game - Linear or Angular," "The Warrior Spirit and Mental Toughness," "The Use of Hands in Playing More Effective Tennis," "50 Quick Tennis Tips," and "A Coaches Practice Plan."

"I consider myself a teacher, as well as a coach," said Officer."I feel fortunate to be at an institution that values teaching.The videotapes gave me an opportunity to both work more effectively with my players, as well as to reach players at all levels of the tennis community."